Division Zero X40 Pro Gaming Mechanical Keyboard Review and Ratings

Editors’ Rating:

Our Verdict:
Das Keyboard's first gaming model touts a new switch type that the company claims is faster than competing Cherry MX models, along with swappable faceplates. It's pricey, though, given its lack of media keys and RGB backlighting. Read More…

We’ve tested a bunch of Das Keyboard models, going back as far as 2007 with the Das Keyboard II. And multiple current and former Computer Shopper staffers use or have used Das keyboards as their daily drivers for productivity work for ages.

But in recent years, the market for mechanical keyboards designed specifically for gamers has exploded—nay, supernova-ed—with dozens of companies selling whole families of models, from Corsair (with its Vengeance/Gaming and Strafe lines) to Logitech (among its offerings, the G910 Orion Spark), to Razer (its most recent being the BlackWidow Ultimate 2016 Edition). And that’s just scratching the surface; a quick search on Newegg.com shows 250 mechanical models, most of them aimed at gamers. Even Lenovo is getting into the game, with the plainly named Lenovo Gaming Mechanical Keybaord, which we’re also in the process of reviewing.

Through all this, Das Keyboard has been sitting quietly on the sidelines, producing its productivity-focused models (most recently, the Das Keyboard 4 Professional), almost as if the gaming market didn't exist at all. Or, at least, that's been true until now.

The company has created a new brand, called Division Zero, which at launch includes an M50 Pro gaming mouse, a few different mousing surfaces under the name "47W," and its first gaming-focused keyboard, which we’re looking at here: the Division Zero X40 Pro Gaming Mechanical Keyboard.

So, how does a group of veteran mechanical-keyboard mavens hope to stand out in a very crowded market of competent alternatives? Not by undercutting on price, it seems. With an MSRP of $159, the X40 Pro lands right in the thick of other mid-to-high-end models like the $150 Corsair K70 RGB, the Roccat Ryos MK FX, and Corsair’s top-end K95 RGB. The last is a little more expensive, at $180.

Those competing clackers also feature customizable RGB backlighting, meaning you can choose what color you want the keys to be and, with the Corsair keyboards, even customize or download animations for the color-changing keys. With the Division Zero X40 Pro, your lighting choices are red, or…red. (You can tweak the glow to one of five different brightness levels, at least.)

Design

The X40 Pro’s main claim to keyboard fame is a new switch, dubbed "Alpha-Zulu," which the company's press materials claim is “15 percent faster than the Cherry MX [switch],” due to a shorter actuation point. The Alpha-Zulu switches reportedly register at a depression point of 1.7mm, versus 2mm with the more familiar MX switches.

The Alpha-Zulu switches come in two varieties. The “Olive” switch, which resides in the model the company sent us for review, is linear. This means that, much like the more familiar Cherry MX Red switches, there’s no tactile “bump” that you can feel when the keystroke registers. The feel of the key press is smooth all the way down.

The other switch variant is called “Mustard” and has a tactile bump or click that you’ll feel as you depress the key. While we weren’t able to test this switch, it seems likely that it’s most closely aligned with the Cherry MX Brown switch, as the switch is described in press materials as “soft tactile,” not the harsher and audible click of the MX Blue switches in many previous Das Keyboards. We still prefer MX Blue switches for writing, but they are quite noisy, which can irk other office workers (or spouses) in close quarters.

Now, about the advertised shorter throw of the Alpha-Zulu switches: How much this matters (or whether it matters at all) depends largely on what kind of gamer you are. Online "battle arena"/MOBA games (such as DOTA 2 and League of Legends) rely much more on ultra-fast input than RPG or adventure titles, or turn-based strategy games. So if the former game type is what you’re focused on (and you’re seriously focused), then the Alpha-Zulu switches in the Division Zero X40 Pro may give you a slight edge.

But even if you’re a dedicated fan of fast-paced twitch gaming titles, it’s hard to see how shaving a few tenths of a millimeter off the throw of your keystroke is going to give you a major advantage. Even Division Zero’s claim of a 15 percent improvement sounds fairly modest. And if shallow key throw were really a shortcut to success in gaming, it seems logical that gamers would be gravitating to flat ultrabook-style keyboards, not mechanical keyboards with their comparatively lengthy depression distance.

Atop those Alpha-Zulu switches, the X40 Pro features a removable metal face plate so that you can change up the keyboard’s looks. Our review unit shipped with a grey plate. But red, yellow, and green plates will also be sold separately, at a rather expensive $39 each.

The keyboard also has a number of appreciated, if not ground-breaking niceties, including five customizable macro keys along the left edge, and a long (6.5-foot), braided cable that also includes a pass-through to a USB 2.0 port and headphone and mic jacks on the upper-right edge of the keyboard.

We’d like to see a USB 3.0 (or even USB 3.1) port here for plugging in a fast flash drive or external solid-state drive. But the 2.0 port is still convenient for plugging in a mouse or other device for which throughput speed isn’t all that important.

The Division Zero X40 Pro’s metal top plate, with its seemingly random pattern of angular black shapes certainly stands out. But it won’t appeal to everyone, either. (Personally, we like the more understated design of the company’s previous Das Keyboards.) If you aren’t fond of the grey metal of the default plate, you can use the included Allen wrench to remove the eight screws on the top of the plate and swap in one of the other color options. We’d like to see some plates without the graphical pattern completely, though, for a cleaner look. But the inclusion of those eight protruding hex-head screw heads on the top precludes truly clean lines, anyway.

The other benefit of the removable plate, though, is that it should make the Division Zero X40 Pro easier to clean than other mechanicals. It takes about a minute to remove the plate, after which you’re greeted with the exposed interior of the keyboard, where crumbs, fingernails, and other dirt and detritus tend to accumulate.

With the plate removed, it should be fairly easy to blow out most of the gunk with compressed air. Or just a few sharp knocks to the back side of the keyboard while it’s held upside down over a trash can should do the trick.

Table of Contents

Division Zero X40 Pro Gaming Mechanical Keyboard

Our Verdict:
Das Keyboard's first gaming model touts a new switch type that the company claims is faster than competing Cherry MX models, along with swappable faceplates. It's pricey, though, given its lack of media keys and RGB backlighting.

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